Door-operating system



Jan. 19, 1932. H. A. LEWlS 1,341,611

DOOR OPERATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 1, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 v WITNS 1 INVENTOR: Harry fl. Lea/w BY ATTORNEYS.

DOOR OPERATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 1, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FICiI;

aowm 205 52 34 12 .22 5g wmvgssss INVENTOR:

2 Harry/1. Lewis,

Jan. 19, 1932.

Fil ed Oct. 1, 1928 FIG. 17:

H. A. LEWIS DOOR OPERATING SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 WITNESSES INVENTOR: Harry fl. Lewis,

ATTORNEYS.

Harry fl Lewis,

Jan. 19, 1932. LEWIS 1,841,611

DOOR OPERATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 1, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR:

BY W

ATTCRNEYS.

Patented Jan. 19, 1932 HARRY A. LEWIS,-FOF;NORRISTOW1\T,:PENNSYLVANIA DOORPOP ERATI'ING SYSTEM Application filed October 1, 1928. Serial No; 309,629.

This invention relates to door operating systems,particularly to vpower driven syse tems for operating doors of garages and the like.

invention is in part directed toward provision, in connection with door operating systems or" the kind'referred to,

of a control exteriorly of the garage convenient of access to enable opening oi the door for entry and subsequent closingv of the door c-essitating dismounting of :the i an automobile or other vehicle, in addition to without neplriver from a control whereby the doors may be-opened andclosed from the interior of the garage.

A further object of my invention is. to

provide still another interior control means,

capable of being set'through facilities within easy reach of the driver seated in an automobile, to bring about automatic closing of the door after expiration of a predetermined time period suflicient to enable passage of the g I tration in F g. I'1s of the double or two car automobile out ofthe garage.

Another object of my invention is to secure the above desiderata in a door operating and tool proof.

7 system which is extremely simple in construction, reliable in operation, inexpensive Still further objects and advantages will be manifest from the detailed description which follows in connection with the draw- I ings, wherein'Fig'. I is'a plan View, more or less diagrammatically represented, of a garage equipped with an electric motor driven door operating mechanism conveniently embodying my invention.

' Fig. II shows a fragmentary sectional rro-ws 'II-II view, taken as indicated by the a in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a fragmentary elevation, on a larger scale, of the latch means provided for locking the door in closedposition.

Fig. IVis a fragmentary sectional view, taken as indicated by the arrows IV-IV in P Fig. III, and showing certain ciated with the latch means.

Vshows afront elevation of a cable:

details assowinding means b which the ara e door is c .l b 2:

opened and closed, some ofthe .parts being broken away. andin sect-ion to trate important'details.

- better illus- 1 I entry -into the garage.

stance, of the'sliding kind hung in suspens' Fig. VI is a side elevation of the winding means viewed from the right of Fig. V. Fig.- VII is a diagrammatic perspective View of the winding means.

Fig. VIII is a fragmentary detail elevation, "viewed as -;indicated by the arrows VIII-VIII in Fig. V. i

Fig. IXshows a curb post with the means whereby opening of the door is controlled for type with entrances 10,;l1closed by a pair of sliding doors '12, 13. While I have shown an operating system for the, door 12 only, it is to be understood that provisions similar to those abouttobe described may be made for the door l3 if desired. From Fig. II it will be seen that the door 12 is,in the present insion, after common practicegby fittings 15 having rollers 16 which run in a guiding channel track 17 secured by brackets 18 above the entrance 10 at the in side of the garage.

The means directly instrumental in opening and closing the door 12 is 'intheform of a winding mechanismv comprehensively designated by the numeral 20 in Fig. I, and illustrated in greater detail and on a larger scale injFigs. V, 'VI and VII. Thiswinding meehanismi20 is. secured centrally of the rear wall 21 of the garage for convenience, and coordinated with the door 12 by meansof a connecting cord or cable'22 which is obliged to trace the'triangular course shownin'Fig. I" through guidance by overhead sheaves 23, 24, and 25,26. The sheaves 23, 24 of the first; pair are-secured respectively to the side walls 27 of the garage adjacent the. entrances 10, ll, while those I of .the. other pair 25, 26 arezsecured side by side to the rear wall 21 and serve to direct the ends of the cable 22 downward toward the winding mechanism 20. At a point midway of its length, the cable 22 carries an elongated collar 28 whereby connection is made with a latch device 29, see Figs. IIII, whereof the movable member 30 has the shape of a bell crank with fulcrum support at 31 on a plate bracket 32 secured medially of the top of the door 12 at the inside for capacity to swing back and forth within limits imposed by stops 33, 34. The fixed element 35 of the latch device 29, on the other hand, is. angular in shape and bolted fast above the doorway 10 immediately over the guide rail 17. The horizontal flange of the fixed latch element 35 is sloped upwardly at 36 with formation of a cam approach to an aperture 37. This aperture 37 is normally engaged by an upwardly spring-pressed bolt 38 slidingly supported in a boss 39 on the horizontal extremity 30a of the movable latch element 30. With the described arrangement it will be apparent that as the cable 22 is pulled in the direction of the arrow in Fig. III to open the door 12, the latching element 30 is swung counter-clockwise about its fulcrum 81, and the bolt 38 consequently withdrawn from the aperture 37 of the fixed latching element 35. Upon unlatching and engagement of the depending extremity 30b of the element 30 with the stop 34, the door 12 must of necessity respond to continued pull on the cable 22, it being thereby slid along the guide rail 17 to open position. \Vith initiation of the closing movement of the door 12 under pull of the cable 22 in the direction opposite to the arrow, the latch element 30 is swung clockwise until its depending extremity 30b encounters the stop 33, whereafter the door 12 follows the cable 22 exactly as in opening. As the position of full closure is approached, the bevelled bolt 38 of the latching element 30 is depressed in opposition to its spring, as a consequence of encountering the cam portion 36 of the fixed element 35, and eventually finds its way into the aperture37 to hold the door 12 locked. In order to enable disconnection of the door 12 for manual manipulation in case of failure of the opreating system, I supplement the latching means 29, as shown in Figs. II and III, with a handle-like gravity-influenced coupling member 40. This coupling member 40 is slidably engaged in a clevis 41 in the extremity 30?) of the latch member 30, and extends down to a level within easy reach of the hand, the sides of the clevis 41 being apertured as at 42, for passage of the collar 28 as presently noted. I The coupling handle 40 is likewise provided near its top with an aperture 43 which resembles an inverted key hole in that it has a circular portion of a diameter to clear the collar 28 and an upward elongated notch adapted to normally engage a flattened central web 28a of said collar formed through grooving the latter trans versely of opposite sides, in a manner obvious from Fig. IV. By lifting the coupling handle 40 to bring the circular portion of its aperture into registry with the apertures 42 in the clevised extremity 30b of the latch member 30, the collar 28 on the cable 22 is obviously freed, whereupon the door 12 may be operated manually in emergencies with said cable inert.

Referring more particularly to Figs. V and VI, it will be seen that the winding mechanism 20 comprises a triangular supporting plate 45 for wall attachment, said plate havingbearings lfi, at its lower corners wherein is journalled a horizontal shaft 47 which extends through a housing 48 centrally disposed on the plate 45. The shaft 47 is driven, through interposed speed reduction gearing 49 within the casing 48, by a reversible electric motor 50. Secured to the shaft 47, adjacent the in-sides of the bearings 46, are disks 51, with friction facings adapted to contact normally, under driving pressure, with the contiguous faces of freely mounted, spirally-grooved winding drums 54, to which the opposite ends of the cable 22 are secured in such manner, see Fig. VII, that one end is taken up and the other end let out with rotation of use shaft 47 in one direction to effect opening of the door 12, converse action taking place when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction to bring about door closure. Disposed on the shaft 47 between the drums 54, 55 and the gear housing 48 are associate winding drums 56, 57 respectively, which are also freely mounted, and whereto are secured the opposite ends of another cable 58 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the cable 22, whereby one end is correspondingly taken up while the other end is let out, and conversely, in accordance with the direction in which the shaft 47 is rotated. The suspension loop of the cable 58 is occupied by a sheave 59 from which a weight 61 is hung by means of a yoke member 61. At the top, the yoke member 61 is fitted with an adjustable screw 62 adapted to abut a stop projection 63 centrally of the bottom edge of the wall plate 45 in insuring uniform and equalized winding of the weighted cable on the drums 56, 57. its a means for coupling the associated drums 54, 56 and 5:3, 57 with each other and with the shaft 47 under influence of the weight 60, I interpose between each pair of them, wedge means (34, 65 tending to thrust them apart, causing the drums 54, 56 to frictionally grip the facings 53 of the discs 51, 52 and the drums 56, 57 to amb against the bearing bosses 48 on the gear casing 48, with sufficient force to move the door operating cable 22 as required. The facings 53 and bearing bosses 48 thus serve in the capacity of opposing thrust abutments,

' shown in Figs. V, VII and VIII the wedge means 64, 65 mav consist of counter bevelled opposing lugs 64a, 65a projecting laterally from contiguous faces of the associated drums 54, 56 and 55, 57. Thus,under the lateral thrust induced by action of the weight 60 suspended from the cable 58, the drums 54L, 56 and 55, 57 are coupled to each other and to the shaft 47 through frictional contact between the drums 54, and the facings-53 of the disks 51, 52,the weight 60 being so proportioned in practice as to maintain the coupling effect at the degree necessary to insur positive movement of the door 12, yet with capacity to slip incidental to over-running of the motor 50 after the door 12 has been moved to full open or full closed position; or if arrested in an intermediate position, for example, by an automobile stalled in the doorway 10. Under these conditionsit will'be seen that the motor 50 and the winding mechanism 20 are effectively protected against in jury from overloading.

For the purpose of controlling operation of V the door 12 from within the garage, I place at a convenientpoint, for example, adjacent r a rear entry door 66, a double switch 67 with a door opening button 67a and a door closing button 67 b, said switch being connected in circuit with the motor 50, of the winding mechanism 20, as hereinafter more fully explained.

I also'provide an auxiliary door closing switch with an incorporated timing mechanism, conventionally indicated at 70 in Fig. I, and illustrated in detail Figs. X and XI. As shown, this switch 70 comprises a casing 71, whereof the cover is removed in Fig. X, affording journal support to an arbor 7 2. A disk 7 3 of insulation with a segmental projection 73a is secured to the arbor 72 and designed for cooperation with a spring contact 7 4-, thelatter being attached at the lower end by a screwl75 to a fixed insulated block 7 6 within the casing 71with its upper free end lying inthe path of the aforesaid segmental projection 7 3a; A second screw 77 taking into the upper end of theinsulated block 76 reaches into close proximity to the contact spring 7 t for cooperation therewit. in a manner to be described presently. pair of short conductors 78, 79 coordinate the screws 75,. 77 with terminals 80, 81 respectively, that extend to the exterior through the side ofthe casing 71. The timing mechanism'includes a pendulous lever 82, an es capement wheel83 to vibrate it, and a train of gears 84. coordinating said 'escapement wheel with a gear 85' which is loose onthe arbor 7 2'and carries a spring pressed pawl 86 to engage aratchetwhe'el 87. fast on said. arbor. A chain 88' trained over a pulley 89 affixed to the arbor72 exteriorly of the casing 71, has a weight 90 suspended from one of its ends, anda setting handle 91 from the other, the extent ofpull on the handle 91 being limited by a stop collar 92 on the weighted chain end, and the descent of the weight 90 on the other hand checked a similar collar 93 secured to the other end of the chain 88. The auxiliary timing switch 70 is located centrally of the garage and secured overhead with the handle 91 suspended within easy reach of the driver seated in the automobile ready to leave through the entrance 10, the door 12 having previously been opened by means of the push button switch 67. In

setting the timing switch 70 for operation, the handle 91 is pulled down until checked through engagement of the collar 92 with the bottom of the casing 71, with incidental impart-ation to'the disk 7 3 of substantially a semi-rotation and transfer of its segmental projection 7 3a to the opposite side ofthe spring contact 7d, as shown in dot-anddash lines in Fig. X. Upon release of the handle 91 and freeing of the weight 90, the disk 7 3 is rotated in the opposite direction subject however to retardation by the escapement couple 82, 83 which is now actuated through driving of the gear 85 by the pawl 86 and the ratchet wheel 87 fast on the arbor 72. Now it will be seen that in the return movement of the disk 78 under check of the escape mentcouple 82, 83, a considerable time interval elapses before the segmental projection 73a encounters the spring contact '74, ample time being thereby afforded the driver to pass out of the garage. When the segmental projection 73a finally reaches the spring 74, the latter is urged into contact withthe contiguous end of the screw 7 7 thereby establishing the circuit through the motor 50 to initiate closing movement of the garage door 12, the extent of said segmental. projection predetermining maintenance of the circuit long enough to insure complete door closure with the members 30, 35 of the latch 29 in engagement. The driver can thus leave his garage with assurance that the door 12' will be automaticallyclosed after him.

To enable opening and closing of the door 12 from the exterior of the garage, place within a recess 95 in on side of a curb post tection against'unauthorized use. The height I of the post 96 is made such that the switch 97 is located within easy reach of the driver seated in an automobile, thereby obviating the necessity for dismounting to open the garage door 12- for entry, or closing said door upon leaving if the auxiliary timing switch 70 is not used.

Fig. XII 'showsthe circuit wirin'gfor the various electric devices employed in the system, the operation being as follows: Pushing the button 67a of the switch 67, it will be seen, results in bridging of contacts 100, 101 and closing of a circuit from the power line wires 102, 103 through the brushes 10%, 105 of the motor 50 by way of conductors 106, 10?, 108, 109 so that said motor is driven to effect door opening. Pushing of the button 67?) of the switch 67, on the other hand results in bridging of terminals 110, 111 and establishment of a circuit through the brush 10% and a reversing brush 112 of the motor 50, via conductors 113, 114-, 115 to effect door closure. The switch 97 at the outside of the garage is connected in parallel with the switch 7 through conductors 116, 117, 118, 11 12 and the pushing of its buttons 97a, 07?) is therefore attended in a like manner by door opening and closing. The timing switch is in turn connected in parallel with tile terminals associated with the door closing but tons of the switches 67, 9'? through branch conductors 121, 122 connecting into the c ductors 118, 120. A lamp 123 located over the doorway 10 (Figs. I and ll) is shown in Fig. XII as being connected by conductors 12 1, 125 between the line wire 102 and the terminal of the timing switch T0 so as to be lighted during operation of either or the switches 67b, 70, 97?).

It is to be understood, of course, that my invention may be employed in connection with doors other than the sliding type described, the adapta ion being clearly Wl'mllll the province of a skilled mcciianic, thereby obviating he necessity for separate detailed disclosure 1 erein. The term door as user. in the appended claims is therefore to be considered as comprehensive and in the broadest sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In door operating systems, power actuated mechanism including a cable having an attached sleeve and co-active coupler pulled upon alternately from opposite directions by the cable in opening and closing the door, said coupler being carried by door latch means automatically eleased vith initiation of the pull on the cable for door opening.

In door operating systems, power actuated mechanism including a cable having an attached sleeve pulled upon alternately from opposite directions the cable in opening and closing the door, door latch means carried by one arm of a bell-crank device auomatically released with initiation of the pull on the cable for door opening, and coupling means carried by the other arm or" said drvice permitting disconnection of the cable and the latch means so that the door may be operated manually.

3. In door operating systems, power actuated mechanism including a cable having an attached medially reduced sleeve and co-active coupler pulled upon alternately from op posite directions by said cable in opening and closing the door, and latch means embodying a fixed member and a co-operating bell-crank member, the latter being carried by the door and raving one arm attached to the cable the aforesaid coupler so that a latching element carried by the other arm is withwn from engagement with the fixed memupon initiation of the pull on said cable 1 :1 door opening.

In door operating systems, power actuatee mechanism including a cable having an *t ched medially flattened sleeve and co-acgravity-influenced coupler pulled upon alt-'riately from opposite directions by the cable n opening and closing the door, and means embody O a fixed member, and a co-operating bell-crank member, the latter being piv ted on the door and having one arm attached to the cable by the aforesaid coupler so that a spring-influenced latch carried by the other arr is withdrawn from engagement w'th the lined member upon initiation of th pnl on the cable in door opening and urged toward the lixcd member under pull oi the cable in door closing.

in door operating systems, actuating inoc iaiiism in 1g a cable with an attached sleeve havii iced web, a co-active latch coupler carried by the door, a reversible motor with .'ct on driven winding means to respect ely tane-up and let-out on opposite ends of the cable when concurrently driven in one direction to release the latch and open the door and vice versa when concurrently driven in the opposite direction to close the door, and switch r cans to control reverse rotation of the motor and winding means for the purpose indicated.

In door operating systems, actuating mechanism including a cable with an attached sleeve having a reduced central Web, a coactivc latch coupler carried by the door, winding means including drums to respectively take-up and letout on opposite ends of the cable when concurrently driven in one di ction to release the latch and open the and verse when concurrently driven in the opposite direction to close the door, a motor 6 Yvon shaft supporting'said "unis, l *le 11 ganalternatinglyweightn ic o cable permitting 'on of the sln. t incidental to over running of 4 motor after movement of the door to either the full open or closed posi' tion, and means to control reverse rotation of 1 niotor for the purpose indicated.

ln door operating systems, actuating mechanism including a cable attached to the door, winding means including drums to respectively ta-hcup and let-out on opposite ends of the cable when concurrently driven in one direction to open the door and vice means including an auxiliary drum disposed alongside each of the two first mentioned drums, opposing wedge bevels between each pair of the drums, opposite end abutments to resist the thrust of the bevels, a weight, a looped supporting cable having its ends correspondingly taken-up and let-out in alternation during opening and closing of the door with maintenance of the yieldable connection aforesaid, and means to control reverse rotation of the motor for the purpose indicated' 7 8. A door operating system for garages in accordance with claim 7 wherein the actuating mechanism further includes a curb post exteriorly of the garage, said post supporting a key-lock protected double-switch within reach of a driver seated in an automobile for controlling the actuating mechanism to open or close the door.

9. A door operating system in'accordance with claim 7 wherein the actuating mechanism is further provided with an auxiliary switch having incorporated means to effect, at each actuation, operation of the door after lapse of a predetermined time period.

10. A door operating system for garages in accordance with claim 7 wherein the door actuating mechanism includes a double-switch controlling normal opening and closing of the door, and an auxiliary timing switch located interiorly of the garage within reach of a driver seated in an automobile to eilect automatic closure of the door after lapse of a predetermined time period accommodating passage of the automobile out of the garage.

11. In door operating system, actuating mechanism including a cable attached to the door, winding means including drums to respectively take-up and let-out on opposite ends of the cable when concurrently driven to open or close the door, a motor driven shaft supporting said drums, yieldable coupler means connecting said drums to the shaft but permitting free rotation of the latter incidental to over-running of the motor after movement of the door to the full open or full closed position, said coupler means including an auxiliary drum disposed alongside each of the two first mentioned drums, opposing wedge bevels between each pair of the drums, opposite end abutments to resist the thrust of the bevels, a weight, a looped supporting cable having its ends correspondingly taken-up and let-out in alternation during opening and closing of the door with maintenance ofv the yieldable connection aforesaid, means to control rotation, of the motor in either direction, and an auxiliary control switch controlling automatic closureof the door after a predetermined time period, comprising a movable contact strlp, an actuator member having a projection capable of moving the contact member into circuit closing position, and an escapement to govern'the actuator member for the purpose indicated.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Norristown, Pennsylvania, this 26th day of September, 1928.

HARRYA. LEWIS. 

